Rotary engine



s. zoRl cH Jan. 1, 1946.

ROTARY ENG'I NE 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed July 21, 1944 INVENTOR V 575F175 ZOE/CH.

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Jan. 1, 1946.

3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed July 21, 1944 lab I I INVENTOR.

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s. ZORICH 2,392,211

ROTARY ENGINE Filed July 21, 1944 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 'INVENTOR. STEP/167v Zak/(W.

Patented Jan. 1, 1946 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE I ROTARY ENGINE Stephen Zorichdflovington, Kin, assignor of ten per cent to Everett E. Peters, :ten per cent to Arthur Briede, ten per cent to fiharles L- Tumulty, and ten per cent to Forrest H.

Tumulty Application July 21, 1944, Serial No. 546,024

3 Claimsllth, 1943, andentitled -Rotary engine, may b comprised of multiple units axially aligned, and elements of adjacent units may be arcuately ofi- 'set, and the cam of each may be arcuately adjusted, when desired or required, all as disclosed in said application and made a part hereof.

The'ehlef object of this invention is to provide a power device which has a rotor subject to a plurality of power impulses for each revolution ofthe rotor.

The chief feature of the present invention is to provide a rocking vane in lieu of the radially reciprocatory one of the aforesaid application and thereby obtain all the advantages flowing from such use.

Other objects and features of the invention will be set forth more fully herein-after.

The full nature of the invention will be understood from the accompanying drawings and the following description and claims.

In the drawings Figs. 1 to .5 illustrate the invention in central section, Fig. 1 being on a slightly larger scale than the others forclearness, and each figure in succession illustrates a successive position of parts; Fig. 1 illustrating the upper piston approachingmaxi-mum compression position; Fig. 2 illustrating same. at maximum compression position at the instant of firing; Fig. 3 illustrating same shortly after firing; Fig. 4; illustrating same approximately half between. firing and exhaust; and Fig. '5 illustratin same shortly prior to exh st.

nce he cop d ng application discloses a multiple unit embodiment and means for adjusting angularly the control cam, same for clearn ss and simpli ity is omit ed. herefrom. but either may be employed.

A two-part housing lilo and 1b is suitably seouredto ether and includes a water jacket [3 for cooling purposes. It also includes exhaust l6 and intake l5. Herein the circular chamber includes arcuate portions l8 and I9 and radially enlarged portions 20 and 2|, the former being a part of the expansion or combustion chamber and the latter a part of the intak chamber portion.

Extending through one side of the housing is the main power shaft 50 and extending through the opposite side is the cam supporting shaft 5|. A. hollow circular rotor 22 is rigid with power tracted. until the 7:30 Oclock shaft 5.0. Within the central bore 23 of said rotor 22 is the cam 52 rigid with cam supporting shaft 5!. This shaft may have one end seated in a coaxial bearing in power shaft 50 and its opposite end is rotatably supported Within the collar extension on the rotor opposite shaft 50 and extends beyond the housing for angular adjustment. The housing adjacent the, shaft 5| rotatably supports the collar extension. Antifriction bearings may be utilized whenever and wherever desired. Rotor 22 may be divisible and the parts suitably secured together at 63 and 64 This general type of construction is fully disclosed in said copending applicationv and no further reference herein appears necessary. v

Herein, since three 120 degree spaced pistons are illustrated, there is provided three cylindrical radially directedbores 24 spaced 120 degrees apart, In each is a radially reoiprocable piston 25 having rings 26,. The inner end of each piston is suitably recessed and across same. parallel to the central axis, is a shaft 21, which rotatably supports grooved wheel 21a which straddles cam 52 at the periphery thereof and the root of the Wheel bears on said periphery 37. The cam. except for adjustment, is stationary.

Herein shaft 2! pivotally supports one endof a link 28, the other end of which lies adjacent the side face of cam 52 and a roller 29 projects from said link and rides (and rolls) in groove 39, having the same shape as periphery 31. This groove is in the cam side face. Roller 29 is pivotally mounted on the link 28 at 29A. 'It will be obvious, if desired, the opposite face of cam 52 in. the several figures may also have a corresponding roove 39 therein and another link 28, pivot 29A and roller 29 provided.

In rotor 23 rotation it will be obvious'that from the 11:30 oclock position illustrated in Fig. 1, top piston 25 does not reciprocate until it reaches the 5 o'clock position, then it is reposition, and then it is advanced until at the 11:30 oclock position it is fully advanced. j l The purpose of enlarging the housing cha'.m her at 2| is now apparent, for while the piston is traversing same, as it were, it is gradually retracting to fill bore 24 (its cylinder) with fuel. When the piston has advanced beyond the intake chamber the fuel in said bore is trapped and is y then compressed by the piston.

This trapped fuel is firedby plug l1 and the burning gases expand exerting pressure against a vane 3|, which is arcuate and pivotally supported intermediate its ends on shaft 9 extending across arcuate recess or pocket so in the tor periphery.

The inner arcuate face of rocker 3| is socketed at 34 at opposite sides of pivot 9 and in eachis seated the outer end of radial springs 35. The

forward spring. has its inner end seated in pocket 54 in the 'recesslaflgof the rotor; The other 7 spring 35 has'it's inner end associated with member 55 reciprocable in radial bore 56in the'rotor and opening into pocket 30. l

r This bore 56 has an extension 57 which ex tends through the rotor and slidable therein is stem 36 which carries member .55. The inner projecting end of stem 36 mounts shaft 8, which mounts roller 38 that also rides'the periphery 31 of cam 52.

,Between cylinder bore 24 and stem bore 5155 is a threaded radial'bore 58, enlarged at 59 at flits inner end. An adjustable stop bolt 1 is threaded therein. and limited by nut 6 thereon and seating in bore enlargement 59.

In rotor rotation, stop '1 limits oscillation of the trailing end of rocking vane 3| toward the central axis under the influence of the advanced ,spring;3 5. The force of the rearward spring 35 is regulated by member 55 and hence'byjcam 52 during the combustion cycle. a Note that the fore and aft walls 60 of rotor or power portion of the 'pocket'30'are arcuate in section about axis of 1 shaft 9 and the adjacent ends 6! of rocker 3:.

are correspondingly formed. Each face, however, is,v near the outer end, relieved as at 62 and ,the'value thereof appears in Figs. 2 and 3.

Both ends are so relieved that the rockers may lows the housing wall of chamber 20. I

The rocker has a second function that is on :thecompression portion of the cycle, the trailing edge not only serves as a pivot, but also serves to limit the effect of centrifugal force tending to throw out the rockerfrom its bore. In the compression cycle the forward end of vane 31' serves as a seal to prevent compressed gas from escaping backward into intake chamber 2| (seal clear- "alnce determined 'by stop screw 1). Shaft 9 serves as a pivot to prevent centrifugal force I from tending to throw out the rocker vane from its'recess or pocket 39 in the rotor periphery.

. whenever steam is used as the propelling me-] dium, the cam' is replaced with a comparatively stationary crank having rods connected to'the severalpistons, instead of links, thereby actuating the pistons as the rotor rotates; In this instance also the steam is admitted at the spark plug opening instead of at intake I5.

From the several illustrations and the foregoing description, it will be obvious that there 1 are three power applications'perrotor revolution.

Note also the trailing edge of the rocker can never retract beyond" that determined by its associated stop 1. 7 V v While the invention has been illustrated and 7 described in great detail in the drawings and foregoing description; the same is to be considered as illustrative and ot restrictivein char- V The several modifications described herein as well as others, which willreadily suggest them- ,selves to persons skilled in this art, all are con- "sidered to be within. the broad scope ofthe invention, reference being had. to the appended claims. The invention claimed is:

1. In a rotary engine having a casing with a 7 central chamber therein, a rotor rotatably mounted therein, the rotor having a central bore, a cam within the rotor central bore,omeans coaxially supporting the cam and rotor in the casing, a portion of said means extending therethrough and beyond the same for power shaft purpose,

the casing having arcuately spaced intake and exhaust means, a plurality of equallyoand arcuately spaced pistons radially reciprocable in the rotor, and means operatively connecting the several pistons and the cam for predetermined piston' reciprocation in rotor relative rotation, the combination of means in the rotor .forming independent pocketsin the rotor periphery and between the pistons, the pockets being arcuately spaced and between adjacent cylinders and separated therefrom, an elongated vane of arcuate character in each pocket and pivotally supported between itsends and in the pocket: and in advance of the adjacent piston and independent of that piston, means normally positioning the pivoted vane with its outer face .in registration with the rotor periphery, and positive-means for each--" vane, independent of the piston, and directly as- Y sociated with'the cam for vane pivoting by the cam in rotor rotation, cam pivoting of the v'ane projecting the trailing portion of the vane outwardly towards and into casing chamber wall engagement, the cam actuation of the vane and radially directed spring means is associated with each vane and upon opposite sides ofthe pivotal axis'thereof, the spring. meanshaving dissimilar forces, the greater force bein applied in opposition to and overcome by the cam operation, and stop means in each pocket limiting vane tilting incident to greater force spring means actuation when not cam opposed.

- STEPHEN ZORICIL, I 

